Photo: Djmig.cz—CC BY-SA 3.0
Jarmila Kratochvílová
- Born
- Jan 26, 1951 (75 years old)
- Birthplace
- Golčův Jeníkov, Czech Republic
- Events
- 400 m · 800 m
- Height
- 1.71 m
- Weight
- 68 kg
Jarmila Kratochvilova, born on January 26, 1951, is a Czechoslovak former track and field athlete who specialized in the 400 and 800 metres. She holds the distinction of setting the longest-standing world record in athletics: her 800 metres mark, set in 1983, still stands today. Only Pamela Jelimo and Caster Semenya have come within a second of that time since it was set.
Kratochvilova won two gold medals at the 1983 World Athletics Championships, claiming both the 400 metres and 800 metres titles and setting a world record in the 400 metres. She also earned a silver medal in the 4x400 metres relay at those same championships. At the 1980 Olympics, she won a silver medal in the 400 metres.
Indoors, Kratochvilova was equally formidable. In 1982, she set the world indoor record in the 400 metres at 49.59 seconds, a mark that stood until 2023. Her versatility across distances and surfaces made her one of the most remarkable middle-distance runners in the history of the sport.
As of Nov 7, 2026: 400 m 47.99 (#4 all-time), 800 m 1:53.28 (#1 all-time), 1987 season best 1:57.81 (Aug 31, 1987, Stadio Olimpico, Roma (ITA)) · Olympic Games: 1 silver · World Championships: 2 gold, 1 silver · World record (800 m) · 75 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| World Championships | 2 | 1 | – | 3 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | – | 4 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 800m | 1:57.81 | – | Aug 31, 1987 | IAAF World Championships |
| 1987 | 4x400m | 3:31.96 | – | Jun 28, 1987 | Praha (TCH) |
| 1985 | 400m | 49.89 | – | May 18, 1985 | Westwood, CA (USA) |
| 1985 | 800m | 1:55.91 | – | Aug 17, 1985 | Moskva (URS) |
| 1985 | 4x400m | 3:28.47 | – | Oct 4, 1985 | Bruce Stadium, Canberra (AUS) |
| 1984 | 100m | 11.50 | – | May 25, 1984 | Bratislava (TCH) |
| 1984 | 200m | 22.57 | -0.6 | Jun 16, 1984 | Lausanne (SUI) |
| 1984 | 200m-short-track | 22.9h | – | Feb 25, 1984 | – |